Barrel-cover.



R. WINGHEL.

BARREL COVER.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.10, 1912.

Elwin/who's COLUMBIA PLANonRAPu C0,, WASHINGTON, I) c.

SAS

RUDOLPH WINOI-IEL, 0F WEBB CITY, MISSOURI.

BARREL-COVER.

1,05? ,titl ll.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 1, 1913.

Application filed October 10, 1912. Serial No. 725,007.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, RUDOLPH VVINcHEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Webb City, in the county of Jasper and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel- Covers; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to a barrel cover adapted to fit wholly within the barrel and retain the goods contained in the barrel under pressure while allowing access thereto without lifting the cover itself.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple, efficient cover of this character which will automatically adapt itself to the change of level of the food stuff, a portion of which is from time to time removed from the barrel, and which is capable of expansion and contraction to cover varying areas due to the differences of diameter at the head and center of the barrel as the goods are removed from below the cover.

Vegetables, meats, and similar foods, when pickled are required to be covered by brine or other liquor and when it becomes necessary to remove the food stuff, considerable difficulty is experienced in the manipulat-ion of the cover. 7

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement of parts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 represents a vertical central section of a bar rel partially filled and equipped with this improved cover; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a plan view of a portion of the cover which constitutes the pressure element.

In the embodiment illustrated, a barrel A is shown of usual construction being smaller at its ends and larger at its central portion. This barrel is designed to contain goods for sale which are more or less injured by exposure to the air and to prevent such deterioration and at the same time permit ready access to the goods, such as pickles or sauer kraut, this improved cover is provided. This cover comprises a plate or disk having an opening therein split transversely from its periphery to said opening and being shown in the form of a fiat annular member or plate 1 composed of material more or less resilient and being of a circumference greater than the greatest inner circumference of the barrel to which it is to be applied and with the ends thereof overlapping to provide for the expansion and contraction of said plate to adapt it to automatically adjust itself to the diameter of the barrel to which it is applied. This plate will expand automatically as the cover reaches the wider central portion of the barrel and will be forced to contract as it is moved downwardly into the reduced lower end thereof by the pressure exerted on its periphery by the walls of the barrel. This contraction and expansion is facilitated when the plate is constructed of sheet metal protected by a suitable coating such as enamel, but it may, if desired, be formed of other material suiiiciently resilient to adapt it to expand when the top reaches the wider portion of the barrel. The Width of this plate 1 may be varied to provide a larger or smaller central opening as may be desired.

The opening 2 in the plate 1 is normally closed by a pressure member shown in the form of a head 3 which may be constructed of any suitable material such as pottery, glass or artificial stone which rests on the material to be protected and is sufficiently large to close the opening 2 in the plate 1 when said plate is expanded to its extreme limit. This head 3 is made of sufficient thickness to adapt it to perform the function of a weight for exerting pressure on the contents of the barrel and forcing said contents down well into the brine and it also has a central opening 4 of any desired size through which the contents of the barrel may be removed in small quantities adapting the device especially for use in connection with pickle barrels from which pickles are removed individually. This opening 4: is closed normally by a lid 5 also constructed of porcelain or other suitable acid resisting material in the form of a stopper shaped to fit the opening 4; and provided at its upper end with a lateral flange 6 which is adapted to rest on the upper face of the head 3 and close the opening 4: securely against the entrance of dust and dirt and which also prevents the evaporation of the liquid contained in the barrel. This lid 5 is provided with a suitable handle here shown in the form of a knob 7 by means of which said lid may be readily removed and replaced when desired.

By constructing the plate or follower 1 in the form of a split ring with the ends overlapping, said plate will more readily conform to the uneven surface of the contents of the barrel and also cause it to con tact closely with the pressure element or head 8 as is shown clearly in Fig. 1.

While I have described my invention with more or less minuteness as regards details and as being embodied in certain precise forms, I do not desire to be limited thereto unduly any more than is pointed out in the claims. On the contrary, I contemplate all proper changes in form, construction and arrangement, the omission of immaterial elements and substitution of equivalents as circumstances may suggest or render expedient.

I claim as my invention:

1. A barrel cover comprising a split annular resilient member having the ends thereof overlapping and freely movable relatively to each other, a pressure member mounted on said annular member and having an opening therein and means for closing said opening.

2. A barrel cover comprising an expansible resilient plate having an opening therein, a pressure member removably mounted on said plate over said opening and overlapping the edges of said opening and closing said opening, said pressure member having an opening therein provided with a removable closure.

3. A barrel cover comprising a plate having an opening therein and slit from said opening to its periphery to form ends which overlap when positioned in the barrel, and a removable pressure member resting on said plate over said opening and forming a closure therefor.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

RUDOLPH WINGHEL. Witnesses J. E. BEAU, A. H. BEDDING.

Copies of this patent maybe obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of-Iatents, Washington, D. G. 

